Chapter IX: Part FOUR: Later Spring Birds (2)

Range: Central North America. Breeds in western Alberta; winters in the
interior of North America east of the Rocky Mts., more or less
irregularly in southern Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, eastern
Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New England, and Quebec.

A sight of this handsome bird is an event in the East, and arouses great interest in people who know how rare it is. Five were seen near Washington in early April of this year, and were hailed with enthusiasm. It is a common resident of our Northwest, though it wanders in flocks to the East occasionally.

It looks like a large goldfinch, though it is a less brilliant yellow, has larger patches of white on its wings and wears its dark cap back on its head, above its yellow forehead, instead of pulled down to its eyes and bill. It blends perfectly with the yellows and olive-browns of some of our western landscapes.

It feeds on berries, seeds, and insects. It becomes very tame.

THE BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_

The Black-headed Grosbeak has _cinnamon-brown_ upper parts, breast, band about the neck, and rump; yellow belly, black head, wings, and tail; wings with two white bars and a white patch; tail with white tips. Female brownish-black and buff above; under parts tawny and yellow, streaked with dark; chin, sides of throat, and line over eye whitish.

"The Black-headed Grosbeak takes the place in the West of the rosebreast of the East, and, like it, is a fine songster. Like it, also, the blackhead readily resorts to orchards and gardens and is common in agricultural districts. The bird has a very powerful bill and easily crushes or cuts into the firmest fruit. It feeds upon cherries, apricots, and other fruits, and also does some damage to peas and beans, but it is so active a foe of certain horticultural pests that we can afford to overlook its faults.... It eats scale insects, cankerworms, codling moths, and many flower beetles, which do incalculable damage to cultivated flowers and to ripe fruit."[110]

THE BOBOLINK
_American Blackbird Family--Icteridæ_

Length: A little over 7 inches.

Male: _Spring_ or _Breeding plumage_: Crown, sides of head, throat, and
other under parts black; _back of head and neck light yellow_; upper
half of back black, streaked with creamy white; _lower half of back,
rump, and shoulders white_; wings black, some of the feathers tipped
with buff; tail black, the feathers pointed. Many birds have dark
upper parts and light breasts; the bobolink wears his bright breast
upon his back during the summer. In the fall, he resembles the
female.

Female: Olive-brown and light yellow above, with black streaks; head
with olive-brown and light yellow stripes; under parts pale yellow;
wings and tail brown.

Notes: A tinkling _ding-ding_, not unlike the sound of a bell; likewise
a chirp.

Song: A bubbling song, full of ecstasy and abandon. It is one of the
most delightful songs of the later migrants.

Habitat: While in the North, the bobolink inhabits our fields and
meadows, where he "swings on brier and weed." In the fall, he
frequents the rice-fields of our southern states on his way to South
America, and does so much harm that he is dreaded and hated.

Range: North and South America. Breeds mainly from the plains of
south-central Canada to Nevada, Utah, northern Missouri, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; winters
in South America, to southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia.

Had Robert Louis Stevenson written the biography of a bobolink, he might have given him the names of his immortal Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for the bird seems to possess a dual nature, and to bear totally different reputations in the North and the South. When he visits Canada and northern United States in May, dressed in his gay wedding finery, he is greeted with joy. Few more delightful birds are to be found than this attractive, happy-hearted singer against whom no reproaches are registered in the North.

His song has been a favorite theme for poets and nature-writers. Thoreau wrote: "One or two notes globe themselves and fall in bubbles from his teeming throat. It is as if he touched his harp within a vase of liquid melody, and when he lifted it out, the notes fell like bubbles from the strings. Methinks they are the most liquidly sweet and melodious sounds I ever heard."[111]

The bobolink's habits in the North are almost beyond reproach. Professor Beal writes: "In New England there are few birds about which so much romance clusters as this rollicking songster, naturally associated with the June meadows; but in the South there are none on whose head so many maledictions have been heaped on account of its fondness for rice. During its sojourn in the Northern States it feeds mainly upon insects and seeds of useless plants; but while rearing its young, insects constitute its chief food, and almost the exclusive diet of its brood. After the young are able to fly, the whole family gathers into a small flock and begins to live almost entirely upon vegetable food. This consists for the most part of weed seeds, since in the North these birds do not appear to attack grain to any extent. They eat a few oats."[112]

Dr. Henshaw adds: "When the young are well on the wing, they gather in flocks with the parent birds and gradually move southward, being then generally known as _reed-birds_. They reach the ricefields of the Carolinas about August 20, when the rice is in the milk. Then until the birds depart for South America, planters and birds fight for the crop, and in spite of constant watchfulness and innumerable devices for scaring the birds a loss of 10 per cent. of the rice is the usual result."[113]

Major Bendire, in his "Life Histories of North American Birds," quotes a letter from Capt. W. M. Hazzard, a large rice-grower of South Carolina, written concerning the warfare waged against these _ricebirds_:

"The Bobolinks make their appearance here during the latter part of April. At that season, their plumage is white and black, and they sing merrily when at rest. Their flight is always at night. In the evening there are none. In the morning their appearance is heralded by the popping of whips and firing of musketry by the bird-minders in their efforts to keep the birds from pulling up the young rice. This warfare is kept up incessantly until about the 25th of May, when they suddenly disappear at night. Their next appearance is in a dark yellow plumage, as the _Ricebird_. There is no song at this time, but instead a chirp which means ruin to any rice found in the milk. My plantation record will show that for the past ten years, except when prevented by stormy south or southwest winds, the Ricebirds have come punctually on the night of the 21st of August, apparently coming from seaward. All night their chirp can be heard passing over our summer homes on South Island, which is situated 6 miles to the east of our rice plantations, in full view of the ocean. Curious to say, we have never seen this flight during the day. During the nights of August 21, 22, 23, and 24, millions of these birds make their appearance and settle in the ricefields. From the 21st of August to the 25th of September our every effort is made to save the crop. Men, boys, and women with guns and ammunition, are posted.... The firing commences at dawn and is kept up till sunset.... If from any cause there is a check to the crop during its growth which prevents the grain from being hard, but in milky condition, the destruction of such fields is complete, it not paying to cut and bring the rice out of the field.... I consider these birds as destructive to rice as the caterpillar is to cotton, with this difference, that these Ricebirds never fail to come."

THE GOLDFINCH
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_

Length: About 5 inches.

Male: _Spring_ and _summer plumage_--_body_ and _shoulders bright
yellow_; _crown black_; _wings_ and _tail_, _black_ and _white_;
tail forked; feathers above tail, gray. _Winter
plumage_--olive-brown back; throat, breast, and shoulders yellow;
wings black and white.

Female: Olive-brown above; dull yellow below; wings and tail a dull
black; white bars on wings, tail white-tipped; shoulders
olive-green; grayish above tail. _No black on crown._

Notes: An unusually sweet chirp or call-note like that of a canary,
_who-ee'_, with a rising inflection; a flight-note, _per-chick'ory_,
given as the goldfinch bounds through the air; a number of gentle
little twittering sounds, for these birds are very social and
communicative.

Song: A rapid outpouring of notes in a wild, sweet, canary-like strain.

Flight: In great waves or undulations.

Habitat: Fields and gardens, or wherever its favorite food may be
obtained.

Nest: In bushes or trees; made of soft grasses or fibers, and lined with
thistledown.

Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from south-central Canada to
Oklahoma, Arkansas, and northern Georgia; winters over most of its
breeding range and south to the Gulf Coast.

In winter, the goldfinch may be distinguished from others of the finch or sparrow family by its undulating flight, its flight-note, _per-chick'ory_, and its call-note. Its black and white wings and tail are also distinctive. It is found in flocks during the winter season.

The Goldfinch or "Wild Canary" is one of our best-loved birds. The beauty of the male's coloring, the sweetness of his voice, the joyousness of his nature have won him many friends.

John Burroughs wrote: "The goldfinch has many pretty ways. So far as my knowledge goes, he is not capable of one harsh note. His tones are either joyous or plaintive. In his spring reunions they are joyous. In the peculiar flight song in which he indulges in the mating season, beating the air vertically with his round open wings, his tones are fairly ecstatic. His call to his mate when she is brooding, and when he circles about her in that long, billowy flight, the crests of his airy waves being thirty or forty feet apart, calling, 'Perchic-o-pee, perchic-o-pee,' as if he were saying, 'For love of thee, for love of thee,' and she calling back, 'Yes, dearie; yes, dearie'--his tones at such times express contentment and reassurance.

"When any of his natural enemies appear--a hawk, a cat, a jay,--his tones are plaintive in sorrow and not in anger.

"When with his mate he leads their brood about the August thistles, the young call in a similar tone. When in July the nesting has begun, the female talks the prettiest 'baby talk' to her mate as he feeds her. The nest-building rarely begins till thistledown can be had, so literally are all the ways of this darling bird ways of softness and gentleness. The nest is a thick, soft, warm structure, securely fastened in the fork of a maple or an apple-tree."[114]

The fondness of goldfinches for the seeds of thistles has given them the name of _thistle-birds_. While they eat insects during the summer, they are especially useful as seed-destroyers. At Marshall Hall, Md., Dr. Judd observed them eating their first fresh supply in the spring from dandelions; in June, they ate the seeds of the field daisy; in July, of the purple aster and wild carrot. Thistles and wild lettuce were feasted upon during August; while in September the troublesome beggar-tick and ragweed were eagerly sought. At one time Dr. Judd counted a flock of three hundred goldfinches busily stripping seeds from a rank growth of the latter weed; he discovered them, also, devouring seeds of the trumpet-creeper. They are invaluable aids to a farmer; the only fault of which they can be accused is that of "pilfering" sunflower seeds. The presence of sunflowers in a garden is likely to attract goldfinches, just as trumpet-creeper blossoms lure hummingbirds.

I recall a lovely garden in which I spent many pleasant hours one summer, happy in its beauty and fragrance, and in the companionship of bird visitors. Near my accustomed seat grew a clump of sunflowers, often sought by goldfinches. The black and gold of their plumage made a pretty sight against the yellow petals and dark centers of the great flowers. I remember one little bird that fluttered among the golden petals, too busy singing to eat for a time.

Two bird-hunting cats haunted the garden. I took a malicious pleasure in driving them away, because their ignorant, parsimonious owner had informed me that she kept them locked up while her chickens were young, so the cats wouldn't catch them. She didn't care how many birds were killed, for then she wouldn't be obliged to feed the prowlers. The goldfinches soon learned that when I was there they could feast in safety. More than once when I was in the house or on the porch I would hear their alarm cry of _Dé-de? dé-de?_ sound from a maple near the piazza, plainly calling for my aid. When I went out to the garden and drove away their feline foes, the cries would cease. The angry owner of the cats, who dared not remonstrate further with me, cut down the sunflowers!

My most beautiful memory of goldfinches is associated with one of their spring mating-festivals. My sister and I had read Burroughs's description of these love-feasts, so we were prepared to understand what the unusual chorus meant. The sweet call-notes of the males, interspersed with rapturous bursts of melody and frequent flutterings met with quick response from the olive-and-gold females, who chirped and said "Yes" with a joy pleasant to see! It is impossible to convey adequately any idea of the exquisite tenderness of their voices, of the absence of quarreling and jealousies,--of the perfect harmony of the proceeding. I can only wish that every person who loves birds might some time have the pleasure of a similar experience.

THE CATBIRD
_Mockingbird Family--Mimidæ_

Length: Nearly 9 inches.

Male and Female: A slender, long-tailed, gray bird, with a _black crown_
and _tail_, and _chestnut-brown feathers under the tail_; breast
somewhat paler than back; bill slightly curved.

Note: A soft _wa_, not unlike the mew of a kitten.

Song: A delightful warble--soft, sweet, and musical, though it is
occasionally interspersed with the catlike noise _wa_, and with
sounds of mimicry. Catbirds are sometimes called northern
mockingbirds.

Habitat: Tangled thickets preferred. Fruit trees, berry-patches, and
garden-shrubbery are also sought.

Nest: A veritable scrap-basket made of twigs, leaves, grasses,
plant-fibers and rootlets, with paper sometimes interwoven. One nest
that I examined contained a scrap from a torn letter and a fragment
of a sermon from a newspaper. Several tell-tale cherry-stones lay on
the bottom, circumstantial evidence of theft.

Eggs: A lovely greenish-blue, not unlike those of the robin.

Range: A common bird of eastern North America, from central Canada to
the Gulf and northern Florida. It is found in the northwestern part
of the U. S. and winters in our southern states and in Central
America.

The catbird is well-named. It is the color of a Maltese cat, is sleek and agile, and in movement quiet and stealthy. Its mew is so like that of a kitten as to be confusing to the uninitiated. I recall the frantic barking of our small dog at a catbird that she heard in the shrubbery one day. It was difficult to convince her that one of her hated foes, a cat, was not the author of the sound that always infuriated her.

Though catbirds possess little claim to beauty, they seem to be vain and appear always to be doing something to attract attention. They are in constant motion--twitching their tails, jerking their bodies, and making their gentle, inane "cat-calls."

I once had an amusing experience with a catbird. I had seated myself near a thicket in which a Maryland Yellow-throat was flitting. Hoping to beguile him from the shrubbery and thus afford myself a better view of him, I gave his song repeatedly--"Witch-a-tee-o, witch-a-tee-o." A catbird on the fence-rail behind the thicket was flirting his tail, looking knowingly at me, and giving his call repeatedly. I paid no attention to him, and continued to say "Witch-a-tee-o." It was not long before he, too, warbled "Witch-a-tee-o." Whether he did it from his love of mimicry or from a desire to be noticed, I shall never know, but his bearing was, "_Now_ will you pay some attention to _me_!"

Catbirds are in disfavor among the growers of cherries and berries, both wild and cultivated; they make havoc in strawberry-beds. Mr. Forbush reports that their depredations vary in different localities. He claims that in spite of their fruit-stealing propensities they deserve protection in Massachusetts, because they devour locusts, cankerworms, and the caterpillars of various moths, most important being those of the gypsy and brown-tail moths.

In the Biological Survey Bulletin "Fifty Common Birds of Farm and Orchard" (No. 513) the following statements about the catbird are made: "Half of its food consists of fruit, and the cultivated crops most often injured are cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Beetles, ants, crickets, and grasshoppers are the most important element of its animal food. The bird is known to attack a few pests such as cutworms, leaf beetles, clover-root curculio, and the periodical cicada, but the good it does in this way probably does not pay for the fruit it steals. The extent to which it should be protected may perhaps be left to the individual cultivator; that is, it should be made lawful to destroy catbirds that are doing manifest damage to crops."

Dr. Judd found that catbirds fed their young almost entirely on insects; he therefore scored a point in their favor. Their bravery in defense of their nest and their young is well known.

Burroughs tells an unusual anecdote about a catbird as follows:

"A friend of mine who had a summer home on one of the trout-streams of the Catskills discovered that the catbird was fond of butter, and she soon had one of the birds coming every day to the dining-room, perching on the back of the chair, and receiving its morsel of butter from a fork held in the mistress's hand. I think the butter was unsalted. My friend was convinced after three years that the same pair of birds returned to her each year because each season the male came promptly for his butter."[115]

Many other incidents might be related concerning this interesting bird,--of its unusual intelligence and its remarkable power of mimicry. One catbird in Tennessee learned to imitate the songs of all the birds that nested near him. His rendering of the red-eyed vireo's song was as good as that of the vireo himself. His listeners felt that it was wearisome enough to have the red-eye preaching constantly, but to have the catbird reiterating it was more than they could endure.

THE BROWN THRASHER
_Mockingbird Family--Mimidæ_

Length: About 11 inches, larger than the robin; tail 5 inches long.

General Appearance: A large bird with a _bright brown back, white breast
streaked with brownish-black_, and a _very long tail_ which is moved
or "thrashed" about incessantly.

Male and Female: Reddish-brown above; white underneath, becoming buff
after the August molt; throat indistinctly marked with dark streaks;
breast and sides _heavily streaked_; wings with two indistinct white
bars; tail almost half the length of the bird; bill long (about 1
inch), sharp and curving.

Notes: A "smacking" sound and a sharp _whew_.

Song: A loud, clear, beautiful song. It consists of several phrases,
each composed of two or more similar notes. Thoreau interpreted it
as follows: "_cherruit, cherruit, cherruit; go ahead, go ahead; give
it to him, give it to him_."[116] The song is generally sung from
the tops of trees or bushes.

Habitat: Like the catbird, the thrasher is found frequently in
shrubbery, where it scratches among dead leaves for its food. Its
brown color protects it admirably.

Nest: Made of twigs, leaves, and root-fibers, placed in thickets or on
the ground.

Eggs: White, evenly speckled with fine brown spots.

Food: Wild fruit and berries (30 kinds), and insects, especially beetles
and caterpillars. Professor Beal says: "The farmer has nothing to
fear from depredations on fruit or grain by the brown thrasher. The
bird is a resident of groves and swamps rather than of orchards and
gardens."[117]

Range: Eastern United States and southern Canada, westward to the Rocky
Mts.; winters in south-eastern United States.

Because of his brown color and his speckled breast, the Brown Thrasher has often been erroneously called the _Brown Thrush_. Careful observation reveals many points of difference. He is three or four inches longer than our common thrushes--in fact, his tail alone is only about 2½ inches shorter than the entire body of the veery or the hermit thrush; his bill is almost four times as long as theirs and is decidedly curved. Instead of dark, thrush-like eyes, he has pale yellow ones that give him an uncanny appearance.

He is not a dweller in woods, but, like the catbird, prefers thickets. Burroughs says: "The furtive and stealthy manners of the catbird contrast strongly with the frank open manners of the thrushes. Its cousin the brown thrasher goes skulking about in much the same way, flirting from bush to bush like a culprit escaping from justice. But he does love to sing from the April treetops where all the world may see and hear, if said world does not come too near."[118]

His song is a brilliant, delightful performance, admirable in technique, but lacking in a quality of tone that moves the heart. It is often of long duration. One May afternoon, I heard a thrasher singing so long that I was moved to time him. He sang without stopping for fifteen minutes by my watch, and his entire song must have lasted nearly half an hour.

The brown thrasher, like the other members of his family, has power of mimicry. In the north, he is sometimes called the "Northern Mocker"; in some regions where he and the mockingbird both live, he is known as the "Sandy Mocker." There is sufficient similarity in the songs of the catbird, the thrasher, and the mockingbird to make a listener pause a moment to distinguish them when in a locality where the three birds are to be found. The catbird's mew betrays him; the thrasher's song is more brilliant and sustained; the mocker's more varied. Thoreau says, "The thrasher has a sort of laugh in his strain that the catbird has not."[119] His song resembles decidedly that of the English thrush, famed in poetry. Browning's description of the latter is equally applicable to our thrasher:

"He sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
That first fine careless rapture."

THE MOCKINGBIRD
_Mockingbird Family--Mimidæ_

Length: About 10 inches; an inch longer than the catbird and an inch
shorter than the thrasher; tail about 5 inches long.

Male and Female: A long, slender, brownish-gray bird, with grayish-white
under parts; wings and tail dark brown; wings with two white bars
and _white patches that are conspicuous in flight_; middle
tail-feathers brown, _outer feathers white, others partly white_.
The female frequently has less white than the male.

Notes: A great variety. Some mockingbirds seem to possess unlimited
powers of mimicry; others have far less ability to reproduce sounds.

Song: A sweet, delightful melody, sung in pure liquid tones and with
ease and assurance, as though the birds were conscious of their
power. They are probably the most famous songsters of America.
Sidney Lanier, Walt Whitman, and other poets have written well-known
poems in their praise, while Roosevelt and many other prose-writers
have added their encomiums.

Habitat: Near the haunts of man, in gardens, parks, tree-shaded streets,
and groves.

Range: Southeastern United States chiefly from eastern Nebraska,
southern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Maryland, south to
eastern Texas, southern Florida and the Bahamas; occasional in New
York and Massachusetts, though a number of records have been made
near Boston; accidental in Wisconsin, Ontario, Maine, and Nova
Scotia; introduced into Bermuda.

The WESTERN MOCKINGBIRD is found in California, southern Wyoming,
northwestern Nebraska, and western Kansas, south to Mexico and Lower
California. It has a longer tail and wings than the eastern species,
and is a paler gray.

Nuttall called the Mockingbird "the unrivalled Orpheus of the forest, and the natural wonder of America." His voice certainly has power to "soothe the savage breast," to interest the mind because of the varied range and remarkable technique, and to uplift the soul, especially when heard in the stillness and beauty of a moonlight night.

There is great difference of opinion regarding the "mocker." He is more loved and admired in the South than in the West, and is regarded with pride as worthy to be called the nightingale of America. Most writers have sung his praises, but occasionally some one regards him with disfavor because of his habit of interlarding his beautiful song with curious and disagreeable sounds. Wilson Flagg says, "He often brings his tiresome extravaganzas to a magnificent climax of melody and as frequently concludes an inimitable chant with a most contemptible bathos."[120]

The power of mimicry varies with different individuals. In a brief interval of time, one bird may imitate a woodpecker, a phoebe, a wren, a jay, or a cardinal, so as to deceive most listeners. He may produce the sound made by the popping of a cork or the buzzing of a saw; the next moment he may scream like a hawk to frighten chickens and send them to cover, or cluck like an old hen and bring young chicks from their hiding-places. Some mockers seem to be able to reproduce the bird-songs they hear more melodiously than the singers themselves render them.

Mockingbirds' bravery in defense of their nests and their young is well known. They have an especial antipathy to dogs and cats, and are merciless in their attacks on those animals if seen near the vicinity of their nests. A friend in California told me that her cat was in abject terror of a mockingbird. Instead of considering him tempting prey, she invariably fled to cover when he appeared, and remained in hiding for a time. The fur on her sides was noticeably thinned where the angry bird had pulled out numerous locks. One day, while my family were visiting San Francisco, they heard a dog yelping piteously and discovered him running at lightning speed down the middle of the street. A mockingbird was perched on his back and was pulling hairs out of his tail with spiteful tweaks. Mockers have been known to kill snakes that approached their nests, and to attack human beings with great fury.

They like to live near people and seem to respond to the affection shown them in the South, where they are such favorites that they are seldom molested. Formerly mockingbirds were trapped for cage-birds, as were cardinals, but this practice is largely discontinued now, because of protective laws and aroused public sentiment.

Dr. Henry W. Henshaw says: "It is not surprising that the mockingbird should receive protection principally because of its ability as a songster and its preference for the vicinity of dwellings. Its place in the affections of the South is similar to that occupied by the robin in the North. It is well that this is true, for the bird appears not to earn protection from a strictly economic standpoint. About half of its diet consists of fruit, and many cultivated varieties are attacked, such as oranges, grapes, figs, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Somewhat less than a fourth of the food is animal matter, of which grasshoppers are the largest single element. The bird is fond of cottonworms, and is known to feed on the chinch bug, rice weevil, and bollworm. It is unfortunate that it does not feed on injurious insects to an extent to offset its depredations on fruit."[121]

Professor Beal says, however, "The mockingbird will probably do little harm to cultivated fruits so long as wild varieties are accessible and abundant."[122] Wise cultivators of fruit take this into consideration and plant accordingly, to keep both their fruit and the delightful, amusing mockingbirds.

THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO
_Cuckoo Family--Cuculidæ_

Length: About 12 inches; tail over 6 inches.

Male and Female: Brownish-gray above with a greenish tinge; white
underneath; _reddish-brown wings_; feathers brightest on inner web;
middle tail feathers brownish-gray; outer ones _black, broadly
tipped with white, tips decreasing in size toward center_; _lower
mandible of bill yellow_ except at the end.

Notes: A rapid, guttural utterance of the words _cook-cook-cook-cook_
and _cow-cow-cow-cow_. Our cuckoos sometimes give a cooing note, but
do not say _cuck'-oo_ like their European relatives.

Flight: Swift and difficult to observe, as the cuckoo glides rapidly
from bough to bough, under cover if possible.

Nest: A loosely-constructed platform of sticks.

Habitat: Orchards, woodlands, park-like estates, and quiet shady
streets. Cuckoos are occasionally seen in exposed, sunny places.

Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from southern Canada and northern
United States as far west as North Dakota and as far south as
northern Louisiana and Florida; winters south to Argentina.

The BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO is similar to the Yellow-bill in general
appearance, but has several marked differences. Its upper parts are
more greenish; its tail-feathers have smaller white tips; its wings
are _gray, not reddish-brown_; its bill is _black_, not _yellow_;
its eye-ring is red.

Cuckoos seem to have less individuality than many of our birds; they resemble several of them. They are not unlike catbirds in their quiet, stealthy movements; they are slender, gray-and-white, and long-tailed like mockingbirds; they build nests somewhat like those of mourning doves.

They are shy, solitary birds, that are known by their note rather than by sight. I never heard of any one but Wordsworth and Wilson Flagg who loved cuckoos or called them "darlings of the spring." The European cuckoo has, however, a very different nature and a more joyous note.

Burroughs is most amusing in his comments. He says: "We cannot hail our black-billed as 'blithe newcomer,' as Wordsworth does his cuckoo. 'Doleful newcomer,' would be a fitter title. There is nothing cheery or animated in his note, and he is about as much a 'wandering voice' as is the European bird. He does not babble of sunshine and of flowers. He is a prophet of the rain, and the country people call him the rain crow. All his notes are harsh and verge on the weird."[123]

He is, however, worthy of consideration. He is of great value to farmers and apple-growers because of his appetite for caterpillars and grasshoppers. Professor Beal wrote as follows: "The common observation that cuckoos feed largely on caterpillars has been confirmed by stomach examination. Furthermore, they appear to prefer the hairy and spiny species, which are supposed to be protected from the attacks of birds. The extent to which cuckoos eat hairy caterpillars is shown by the inner coatings of the stomachs, which frequently are so pierced by these hairs and spines that they are completely furred. The apple-tree tent-caterpillar and the red-humped apple-caterpillar are also eaten. In all, caterpillars constitute two-thirds of the total food of the yellow-billed cuckoo in the South. Few birds feed so exclusively upon any one order of insects.

"The natural food for cuckoos would seem to be bugs and caterpillars which feed upon leaves, as these birds live in the shade among the leaves of trees and bushes. Not so with grasshoppers, whose favorite haunts are on the ground in the blazing sunshine, yet these creatures are the second largest item in the cuckoo's diet. Grasshoppers are so agreeable an article of food that many a bird apparently forsakes its usual feeding grounds and takes to the earth for them. Thus it is with the cuckoos; they quit their cool, shady retreats in order to gratify their taste for these insects of the hot sunshine. But there are some members of the grasshopper order that live in the shade, as katydids, tree crickets, and ground crickets, and these are all used to vary the cuckoo's bill of fare."[124] It eats, also, bugs that injure oranges and melons, and the cotton-boll weevil in large numbers.

THE LEAST FLYCATCHER OR CHEBEC
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_

In March, there comes to us from the South the phoebe, inconspicuous in plumage, yet easy to identify because of its distinctive call. About a month later there arrives the smallest member of our Flycatchers,--the Chebec or Least-Flycatcher. Less than five and a half inches in length, slender, olive-brown above, grayish-white beneath with an indistinct grayish band across the breast, this little bird might escape our notice were it not for its oft repeated and unmistakable call-note. It announces its presence by uttering its name _Chebec_, as clearly and persistently as its cousins, the phoebe and pewee, say theirs.

The chebec is a bird to be found in orchards, by roadsides, and in trees of village streets. Like other members of its family it seeks conspicuous perches, from which it dives after flies, moths, and other insects, returning to its perch to wheeze out its name, with jerks and twitches of its tail.

It breeds from central Canada to central United States as far south as Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and in the Alleghany Mts. to North Carolina; winters from Mexico to Panama and Peru.

THE KINGBIRD
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_

Length: About 8½ inches.

Male and Female: Upper parts dark gray; under parts pure white, with an
indistinct grayish wash at the sides of the breast; _head
grayish-black, slightly crested, with a concealed orange patch_;
bill with bristles at the base; wing-feathers and upper tail-coverts
tipped or edged with white; _tail fan-shaped in flight, showing a
broad white band at the end_.

Note: An unmusical, rattling _Squeak-squeak? squeak-squeak-squeak?_
uttered frequently, and apparently in an irritated mood. The sharply
hooked beak and fierce-looking eye also give the appearance of
pugnacity.

Habitat: Orchards, trees by roadsides, and near farm-buildings. One
looks for the kingbird in open country, not in woodlands; he seeks
conspicuous perches. The nests are placed in trees--in those of
orchards preferably.

Range: North and South America. Breeds from South-central Canada and
throughout the United States except in the south-west; winters from
Mexico to South America.

No more interesting description of the Kingbird has come to my attention than that by Major Bendire. He writes as follows:

"Few of our birds are better known throughout the United States than the Kingbird. Bold and fearless in character, yet tame and confiding in man, often preferring to live in close proximity to dwellings, in gardens and orchards, they are prime favorites with the majority of our farming population, and they well deserve their fullest protection. Few birds are more useful to the farmer; their reputation for pugnacity and reckless courage is so well established that it is almost needless to dwell on it, as it is well known that they will boldly attack and drive off the largest of our Raptores, should one venture too near to their chosen nesting-sites.

"Where a pair or more of these birds make their home in the vicinity of a farmhouse, the poultry yard is not likely to suffer much through feathered marauders at least; they are a perfect terror to all hawks, instantly darting at them and rising above them, alighting on their shoulders or necks, and picking away at them most unmercifully until they are only too willing to beat a hasty retreat. The male is seemingly always on the lookout from his perch on the top branches of a tree or post for such enemies and no matter how large they may be, a pair of Kingbirds is more than a match for any of them, our larger Falcons and Eagles not excepted. Crows and Blue Jays seem to be especially obnoxious to them, and instances are on record where they have done them material injury."

Major Bendire says also that kingbirds do not "bully" all birds, but "as a rule live in harmony with them, protecting not only their own nests but those of their small neighbors as well, who frequently place their nests within a few feet of the Kingbirds--the Orchard Oriole, for instance." He tells however, of the kingbird's dislike of the hummingbird--that he has twice seen the tiny "aggressor" put the larger bird to flight.[125]

Kingbirds were for a long time believed to eat bees and therefore were in disfavor. They were called Bee-birds or Bee-Martins and were shot by bee-keepers who did not understand their great value. Professor Beal and other investigators in the Biological Department at Washington have discovered that ninety per cent. of kingbirds' food consists of insects, mostly injurious beetles that prey upon grain and fruit. They occasionally eat bees, but examination of many stomachs reveals a marked preference for drones over workers, and for wasps, wild bees, and ants over hive bees.[126] So kingbirds have been exonerated.

THE GRAY KINGBIRD
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_

Length: About 9 inches.

Male and Female: Upper parts light gray, darker about the cheeks;
concealed orange patch on the crown; under parts whitish, washed
with gray on the breast; wings and tail brownish; _no white band on
the tail_, like the northern kingbird; _bill very heavy--almost an
inch long_, with bristles at the base.

Note: A loud call, _Pit-tear'-re_, "which is constant and is at times
lengthened and softened until it might almost be called a
song."[127] The natives of Porto Rico call the bird "pitir're"
because of its note.

Range: Breeds from Georgia, southeastern South Carolina, Florida, and
Yucatan, through the Bahamas and West Indies to northern South
America; winters from the Greater Antilles southward. It is common
in our southeastern states.

The following is an extract from Dr. Wetmore's interesting description of the Gray Kingbird in the bulletin, "Birds of Porto Rico," used with the permission of the author:

"The gray kingbird has the reputation among the country people of being the earliest riser among birds. In the daytime it scatters along the slopes and through the fields to feed, but at nightfall gathers in small parties along streams to roost in the bamboos or in the mangroves surrounding the lagoons. The nesting season extends from April to July and during the latter month young are abundant. At all times very pugnacious, pursuing blackbirds, hawks, and other birds, they now become doubly so, resenting all intrusions in their neighborhood. Occasionally they were seen standing on open perches during showers with outspread trembling wings, evidently enjoying the downpour.

"A few facts regarding the insect food of this kingbird were learned from field observation. Birds were twice observed eating the caterpillars of a large sphinx moth. These were beaten on a limb, and then the juices were extracted by working the body through the bill, while only the skin was discarded. Their services in eating these and other caterpillars were recognized."

THE CRESTED FLYCATCHER
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_

Length: About 9 inches.

Male and Female: _Olive-gray above; throat and breast light gray; belly,
bright yellow; head conspicuously crested_; bill, long, dark,
slightly hooked, with bristles at its base; wings brown, margined
with white, pale yellow, and reddish-brown; middle tail-feathers,
dull brown; inner web of other tail-feathers reddish-brown.

Notes: A whistle that attracts attention. Major Bendire describes the
"Great Crest's" notes as follows:

"It utters a variety of sounds; the most common is a clear whistle
like _e-whuit-huit_, or _wit-whit, wit-whit_, repeated five or six
times in a somewhat lower key, and varied to _whuir_, _whuree_, or
_puree_, accompanied by various turnings and twistings of the head.
Its alarm-note is a penetrating and far-reaching _wheek, wheek_."

Nest: The nest of the crested flycatcher is unique. Major Bendire says
that it "is usually placed in a natural cavity of some tree or dead
stump; possibly in an abandoned woodpecker excavation, though a
natural one is preferred." He says also that "nests vary in bulk;
are begun with a base of coarse trash and finished with fine twigs,
bunches of cattle hair, pine needles, dry leaves and grasses, the
tail of a rabbit, pieces of catbirds' eggshells, exuviæ of snakes,
owl and hawk feathers, tufts of woodchucks' hair and fine grass
roots."

Snake-skins "seem to be present in the majority of the nests of this
species; sometimes in the nest proper, and again placed around the
sides of it, in all probability for protective purposes, and changed
and rearranged from time to time" ... probably hung outside to
"alarm intruders."[128]

The Crested Flycatcher lives in eastern North America; breeds from southern Canada to Florida, and winters in Mexico and northern South America. He is a common summer resident of the Middle and Southern States especially. Though louder-voiced than his relatives, the kingbird, phoebe, and wood pewee, he is not so well known because he is shyer. He is not so pugnacious as the kingbird, but he is known to fight fiercely for a mate.

THE OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_

Length: About 7½ inches.

Male and Female: Upper parts _and sides olive-gray_, the gray extending
across the breast; throat and belly yellowish, the yellow extending
in a point almost to the center of the breast; a patch of whitish
feathers on both sides of the back near the rump; head slightly
crested; bill long, black above, yellow below, bristles at the base,
wings and tail olive-brown.

Notes: A monotonous call-note, _Pit-pit-pit_, and a loud, clear
_Peep-here_ or _Peep-peep-here_, frequently uttered from the top of
a tall spruce.

Habitat: Groves of conifers.

Range: North and South America. Breeds from central Alaska and Canada,
in coniferous forests of western United States to northern Michigan,
New York, and Maine, south to the mountains of North Carolina;
winters in South America from Colombia to Peru.

THE WOOD PEWEE
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrannidæ_

Length: From 6 to 6½ inches.

Male and Female: Dark olive-gray above, darkest on the head, which is
somewhat crested; the slightly hooked bill has bristles at its base;
under parts, grayish-white, slightly tinged with yellow; breast and
sides a darker gray; brownish wings and tail; two whitish wing-bars
that are more conspicuous than those of the phoebe.

Notes: _Pee-a-wee_, uttered slowly and mournfully, yet with sweetness
and tenderness. Sometimes the phrase is followed by an abrupt
_Peer_, given with a falling inflection. At times pewees sing
continuously. My sister timed one that sang for an hour and twenty
minutes at daybreak.

Nest: One of the most beautiful made. It is rather broad and flat,
decorated on the outside with lichens similarly to that of the
hummingbird. The nest seems to grow out of the branch on which it is
placed.

Range: North and South America. Breeds from southern Canada to southern
Texas and central Florida, westward to eastern Nebraska; winters
from Nicaraugua to Colombia and Peru.

Of all the flycatchers of my acquaintance the Wood Pewee is the most lovable. He is the only one that possesses a sweet voice; but his note, long-drawn and sad, seems to proceed from an over-burdened heart. The appearance of the little bird is dejected, as with drooping tail, he utters the plaintive sound.

The nature of the pewee is sweet and trustful. I have always found him responsive, replying almost invariably as I have imitated his note. I once had a particularly pleasant experience and succeeded in convincing a little pewee of my friendly attitude toward him. One summer I was obliged to spend many weary days in a hammock hung in a grove; I beguiled the tedious hours by endeavoring to attract birds to close proximity. A pewee came oftenest; he frequently perched on a bough within a few feet of my hammock, and "talked back" to me between dives after insects. That he knew me and was unafraid was proved, for when relatives and friends arrived later in the summer, he would fly away at their approach.

I saw much of him, even when parental responsibilities claimed him. One day, after the young had flown, I came upon him calling earnestly, evidently to a fledgling that was on the ground at my feet. I picked up the little thing; it cuddled down in my warm hand and closed its eyes. Its father continued to call, but without excitement at such a proceeding; he seemed to know that I would not hurt his baby. I put it on a bough near him and left them to work out their bird-problems together.

Not many days later, we saw four young pewees perched in a row on a wire near the house, with their parents in attendance. The father called repeatedly and the little ones made sweet inarticulate gurglings, finding their voices. They were as dear a bird-family as it has ever been my pleasure to see.

Dallas Lore Sharp, in his delightful essay, "A Palace in a Pig-pen," thus summarizes the flycatchers:

"Not much can be said of this flycatcher family, except that it is useful--a kind of virtue that gets its chief reward in heaven. I am acquainted with only four of the other nine eastern members, [besides the phoebe], the great crested flycatcher, kingbird, wood pewee, and chebec,--and each of these has some redeeming attribute besides the habit of catching flies.

"They are all good nest-builders, good parents, and brave, independent birds; but aside from phoebe and pewee--the latter in his small way the sweetest voice of the oak woods--the whole family is an odd lot, cross-grained, cross-looking, and about as musical as a family of ducks. A duck seems to know that he cannot sing. A flycatcher knows nothing of his shortcomings. He believes that he can sing, and in time he will prove it. If desire and effort count for anything, he certainly must prove it in time. How long the family has already been training no one knows. Everybody knows, however, the success each flycatcher of them has thus far attained. It would make a good minstrel show, doubtless, if the family would appear together. In chorus, surely, they would be far from a tuneful choir. Yet individually, in the wide universal chorus of the out-of-doors, how much we should miss the kingbird's metallic twitter and the chebec's insistent call!"[129]

THE RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET
_Old World Warbler Family--Sylviidæ_

Length: A little over 4¼ inches.

Male: Olive-green above, buff underneath, _a ruby-red crown_; wings
brown, edged with olive-green; two light wing-bars; tail brown,
forked.

Female: Similar to male, but lacking the red crown. The females resemble
tiny warblers in appearance.

Note: A sharp scolding-note.

Song: A wonderful song,--full, loud, and indescribably beautiful. It is
hard to believe that so finished and remarkable a song could come
from so small a bird.

Habitat: Woods, thickets, and orchards. Kinglets are usually seen near
the ends of branches.

Range: Northern North America. Breeds in the tree-regions of southern
Canada, southern Alaska, and the higher mountains of the western
United States.

Like many of the warblers, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a spring and fall migrant, and its arrival is therefore of especial interest. It excels most of the warblers in its power of song, and is even more agile than they.

In Bulletin 513 of the Biological Survey is the following description of the Ruby-crown: "In habits and haunts this tiny sprite resembles a chickadee. It is an active, nervous little creature, flitting hither and yon in search of food, and in spring stopping only long enough to utter its beautiful song, surprisingly loud for the size of the musician. Three-fourths of its food consists of wasps, bugs, and flies. Beetles are the only other item of importance. The bugs eaten by the kinglet are mostly small, but, happily, they are the most harmful kinds. Treehoppers, leafhoppers, and jumping plant-lice are pests and often do great harm to trees and smaller plants, while plant-lice and scale insects are the worst scourges of the fruit-grower--in fact, the prevalence of the latter has almost risen to the magnitude of a national peril. It is these small and seemingly insignificant birds that most successfully attack and hold in check these insidious foes of horticulture. The vegetable food consists of seeds of poison ivy, or poison oak, a few weed seeds, and a few small fruits, mostly elderberries."

THE BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
_Old World Warbler Family--Sylviidæ_

Length: About 4½ inches.

Male: Bluish-gray above; grayish white below; forehead black, black line
over the eye; slender, curving bill; wings dark gray, edged with
grayish-white; tail long, outer tail-feathers nearly all white;
middle tail-feathers black; tail elevated and lowered frequently.

Female: Similar to male, but without the black forehead; line over eye
indistinct.

Call-note: A nasal _tang_.

Song: A delightful song,--sweet, but not strong.

Habitat: Woodlands, where it usually frequents treetops.

Range: Southeastern United States. Breeds from eastern Nebraska,
southern Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario, southwestern
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and southern New Jersey to southern Texas
and central Florida; winters from northern Florida to the West
Indies and central America; casual in Minnesota, New England, and
New York.

This dainty little sprite partakes of the qualities of a number of birds. Like the warblers, it is insectivorous and inhabits treetops; like its relative, the ruby-crowned kinglet, it has a finished and wonderful song; like the wrens it has a habit of cocking its tail nervously; while its long black and white tail reminds one of the mockingbird. It is an especially pretty sight, fluttering about the moss-hung trees of Florida.

THE RED-EYED VIREO
_Vireo Family--Vireonidæ_

Length: About 6¼ inches.

Male and Female: Olive-green above, silvery white below; _crown gray,
bordered with a narrow black line; a broader white line over the
eye, a dark streak through the eye; iris red_ or _reddish-brown_;
wings and tail grayish-green, edged with olive.

Habitat: In open woodlands and along well-shaded roads.

Range: North and South America. Breeds from central Canada,
northwestern, central, and eastern United States, to central
Florida; winters in South America.

Note: A nasal _whah_, that sounds ill-natured and unpleasant.

Song: A series of phrases--incessant, monotonous,--that continue from
morning until night, and during August, when most birds are quiet.
Wilson Flagg called the Red-eye the "Preacher-bird" and wrote of him
as follows:

"The Preacher is more generally known by his note, because he is
incessant in his song, and particularly vocal during the heat of our
long summer days, when only a few birds are singing. His style of
preaching is not declamation. Though constantly talking, he takes
the part of a deliberative orator, who explains his subject in a few
words and then makes a pause for his hearers to reflect upon it. We
might suppose him to be repeating moderately, with a pause between
each sentence, 'You see it--you know it--do you hear me?--do you
believe it?' All these strains are delivered with a rising
inflection at the close, and with a pause, as if waiting for an
answer.

"He is never fervent, rapid, or fluent, but like a true zealot, he
is apt to be tiresome from the long continuance of his discourse.
When nearly all other birds have become silent, the little preacher
still continues his earnest harangue, and is sure of an audience at
this late period, when he has few rivals."[130]

Mr. Forbush discovered that this preacher "practiced as he
preached," and tells us of his own observations in the following
words:

"One sunny day in early boyhood I watched a vireo singing in a
swampy thicket. He sang a few notes, his head turning meanwhile from
side to side, his eyes scanning closely the nearby foliage. Suddenly
his song ceased; he leaned forward,--sprang to another twig,
snatched a green caterpillar from the under side of a leaf,
swallowed it, and resumed his song. Every important pause in his
dissertation signalized the capture of a larva. As the discourse was
punctuated, a worm was punctured. It seems as if the preaching were
a serious business with the bird; but this seeming is deceptive, for
the song merely masks the constant vigilance and the sleepless eye
of this premium caterpillar-hunter. In the discovery of this kind of
game the bird has few superiors."[131]

This vireo builds a very attractive nest of strips of bark and fiber, a soft basket hung at the fork of a branch. I recall one nest suspended only a few feet from the ground in a low tree on Cape Cod. We came upon the nest so suddenly that the little brooding mother looked at us with frightened eyes, but she remained at her post, and soon learned that we meant no harm. Many times a day we went by her precious cradle. At night we passed quietly, so as not to waken the faithful little mother-bird with her head tucked under her wing. Our flashlight never once disturbed her. Mr. Forbush says, "This vireo sleeps very soundly, and is sometimes so oblivious to the world that she may be approached and taken in the hand."[132]

Burroughs wrote: "Who does not feel a thrill of pleasure when, in sauntering through the woods, his hat just brushes a vireo's nest?... The nest was like a natural growth, hanging there like a fairy basket in the fork of a beech twig, woven of dry, delicate, papery, brown and gray wood products,--a part of the shadows and the green and brown solitude. The weaver had bent down one of the green leaves and made it a part of the nest; it was like the stroke of a great artist. Then the dabs of white here and there, given by the fragments of spider's cocoons--all helped to blend it with the flickering light and shade."[133]

THE WARBLING VIREO
_Vireo Family--Vireonidæ_

Length: About 5¾ inches.

Male and Female: Grayish-olive above; _indistinct whitish line over
eye_; under parts grayish-white with a faint yellowish tinge; _no
bars on wings; iris dark brown_, not reddish.

Note: A nasal _yah_, not unlike the call-note of the red-eyed vireo.